Kendal Calling festival returns for its fifth instalment on 30 July – 1 August with the likes of Erol Alkan, Wild Beasts, Plump DJs, British Sea Power, Calvin Harris and The Coral set to perform in the picturesque surrounds of the Lake District. We catch up with Friday night headliners Doves to talk about isolation, Shane Meadows, and latest album, 'Kingdom Of Rust'.

DD: 'Kingdom Of Rust' references Ridley Scott’s Bladerunner and is arguably your most cinematic album to date. Why have you never scored a film soundtrack?
Jimi Goodwin: Quite simply because no one’s ever bothered to ask us. We used to drop subliminal references to films we liked in our music in the hope that some director would pick up on them but they never did, so with this one we wanted to approach the subject more head on. We’re huge fans of director’s like Shane Meadows and it would be great to do something with him. He’s got great taste in music so why we haven’t already been asked already is anyone’s guess. Ha ha.

DD: Guitarist Jez Williams recently described the record as being “schizophrenic yet cohesive” - is that the sort of thing you were going for?
Jimi Goodwin: He’s giving good quote that boy at the moment, I’ll have to step up my game. Ha ha. In truth we didn’t have any big game plan for this one, really - we were still shuffling tracks around even until a couple of weeks before the release. I do think it’s a really strong collection of songs, though, and while we never had any sort of theme in mind, listening to it now there’s a sense of a sort of nostalgic future – you know, 50s air stewardesses in pristine uniforms, that sort of thing.

DD: You recorded most of your last album, Some Cities, in a cottage in the Peak District. Did you do the same this time around?
Jimi Goodwin: Well for the first time since our debut we had the luxury of our own room. Back then we were using New Order’s studio in Cheatham Hill and with the first album you’ve obviously got the luxury of having all the time you want. This time we wanted a place where we could all convene and kick ideas about. We ended up renting this converted barn in rural Cheshire and just bought loads of equipment. Although we weren’t out in the sticks as much as the last one, I think the pastoral side of things definitely influenced us. I think it made us more focused too – it was nice to just hunker down with people you really love and respect.

DD: Are you planning on returning to the barn after festival season?
Jimi Goodwin: Yeah, we want to make sure the next record’s out much faster because this one took over four fucking years. At the moment our mate Cherry Ghost is using it, if he hadn’t kicked us out we’d probably still be in there now. Ha ha. But yeah, his stuff’s sounding good. How he won a fucking Ivor Novello and then got dropped is anyone’s guess.

DD: Do you still work in a very democratic way?
Jimi Goodwin: Yeah, that’s why everything takes so long. Ha ha. We’ve known each over for 20 years man and sometimes it doesn’t come easy. There were many failed experiments, tracks that you thought were going to work but never made it on. There are some weeks where you’re insecure and you’re wondering what the fuck you’re doing, but yeah, we’re a good team.

Kendal Calling runs from 30 July – 1 August at Lowther Deer Park, Hackthorpe.